Summary:
While the film faced some difficulties on the road to completion, the final product is surprisingly good.

Story:
DEA agent Sean Vetter and his team is able to capture the biggest drug lord, Meno, along the US/Mexican border after seven years of hunting. After the drug lord is imprisoned, Sean’s house is hit and his wife killed by a mysterious figure known only as Diablo. Now, Vetter and his partner must join forces with the jailed Meno to hunt down the dangerous new player.

Critique:
“A Man Apart” looked okay to me from what I had heard and seen over the last couple of years. I didn’t expect much from the film, but in the end I liked what I saw. ‘Apart’ from director F. Gary Gray’s camera movements in some parts of the film, there’s not much I didn’t like about the movie.

Vin Diesel plays a different kind of role than he does in pics like “The Fast and the Furious” and “XXX”. The character calls for lots of drama – even some dancing – and Diesel pulls it off. I believed this guy was completely in love with his wife (some of the better parts in the film) and when she was gone he didn’t have much left besides revenge. There are, of course, also the Vin Diesel action shots that his fans will enjoy. Larenz Tate played a good side-kick, although the script might have been a bit confusing on his motivation to continue to help Diesel’s character. Timothy Olyphant was amusing as Hollywood Jack Slayton and Geno Silva convincing as the cartel leader.

The movie has some great parts that audiences should enjoy, from a wild gunfight involving the cops and drug dealers to a twist you probably won’t see coming. The story does drag a bit in parts, leaving you to want them to return to more fighting. Also, if you think too much about some things they might not make a whole lot of sense – like why they would team up with a local drug dealer.

I don’t expect the trade reviewers to like this movie, but the twelve people I was with all enjoyed it and so did many of the folks who attended our screenings of the film in other cities. Sure, it doesn’t have perfect acting or a perfect story, but the film is entertaining, which is all that counts, right?